Xander Cruize
Xander Cruize is a psychic trainer from the Kalos Region, and a recent member of Team Liberty. History Team Flare Fallout Xander has few memories of his father, who had been a member of the infamous Team Flare. Though his father hadn't been high in command, he was still present on the day that the ultimate weapon was fired. Though no bodies were recovered, he was presumed dead. Xander grew up hearing stories about the terrorist group that tried to destroy the world. His mother telling him about how his father had been misguided, swayed by Lysandre's natural charisma and ability to manipulate people. At six, Xander made a vow to help everyone he could, no matter the cost to himself. Trainer's Life At the age of eight, Xander partook in Sycamore's Summer training camp along with several other children. At the end of the camp, Sycamore chose four children, including Xander, to be his new students. Sylph Xander had a chance to live up to his own ideals very soon after making his promise. Professor Sycamore was taking a group of junior trainers on an excursion to Route 4, in hopes of seeing some weaker rare pokémon. As they were exploring, a scream filled the air. Xander was the first one to react, sprinting towards the pained sound. He rounded a corner in one of the hedge mazes to see a Mightyena standing over the limp form of a Ralts. Xander shouted, attempting to direct the dark-type's attention away from its prey. It turned its blood-stained face to him and howled. Xander found himself frozen as the predator turned back towards its meal. Luckily, the professor appeared at that moment. The Mightyena, not wanting to face the adult, ran off, leaving its would-be meal in a puddle of blood, left arm missing. Sycamore, in order to save the young Ralts' life, captured the wounded creature. Even with it in stasis, the professor hurried everyone back into Lumiose City. Though he dismissed the class of junior trainers, Xander stuck with him, worried about the psychic type. Sycamore took the ball to his office, setting it on the machine that would heal the worst of the damage. Seeing the determined look on his young student's face, he asked if Xander would like to help him take care of the Ralts. The boy accepted without hesitation. Over the course of a year, they helped rehabilitate her. She was nervous and frightened of most things, but took a liking to Xander. Slowly, she adjusted to having only one arm, and she agreed to be Xander's first official pokémon after he got his pokédex and trainer's license. Gym Challenge and Other Challenges After that, the pair were inseperable. They didn't battle at all until Xander was legally allowed to, but once they started, they were a powerful team. The two left Lumiose City and didn't go back for almost a year. After beating Ramos for the Plant Badge, they ran into a long string of losses. It was the only time the pair found themselves irate with one another. Every time they encountered a trainer with dark-type pokémon, Sylph would freeze, or faint, or teleport away. From there, the two stopped functioning as a team. Sylph, now a Kirlia, was hesitant to listen to her trainer's barked orders. Xander, exasperated with his sole pokémon, shouted all the more. It got to the point where Xander stowed her ball in his backpack and refused any challenges. After 11 months of constant traveling and adventure, the trainer went back home. He had given up on being a trainer. If he couldn't handle a single pokémon, how was he going to ever fight against Team Rocket? It was only after several days of Xander sulking that Professor Sycamore intervened. He told Xander and Sylph of a woman in Anistar who could read pokémon's memories. Reluctantly, the team went to visit this 'Memory Girl' to see if she could help them. As soon as they met her, the woman knew their problem. She explained to Xander that encountering dark-types reminded Sylph of that day so long ago, when the Mightyena attacked her. Psychic abilities were completely ineffective against dark-types, which meant that Sylph couldn't sense their minds. This left only her other senses to tell her what was going on, and her other senses saw only a predator where there should have been an opponent. Though she couldn't help them make dark type pokémon susceptible to psychic attacks, she did remind them that there were other options. Sylph knew two moves that would deal increased damage to her 'predators.' The bond between trainer and pokémon would take time to heal, but this was the first step in the recovery process. Afterwards, their battles got significantly better. While Sylph still hesitated when fighting dark-types, she remembered now that she could fight. The two would spend the next two years powering through the last of the gyms, even defeating two of the Elite Four before being defeated. They had gone through tough times, and were notably stronger for it. Leaving Kalos At age 13, Xander took a break from the battle circuit, he and Sylph going to train in isolation until they both felt they were strong enough to go up against Team Rocket. They had heard of the rebels, Team Liberty, and were planning on gaining enough strength and repute to join their ranks. It would be three years before they returned from their training. The bond between them had grown even stronger, communicating whole conversations with each other in the span of seconds. It was to the point where Xander did not even have to give commands. Sylph acted independently, but the two were of one mind. Anything she did was exactly as he would have ordered. So at age 16, Xander prepared to leave Kalos and sail for Hoenn. Professor Sycamore, impressed with his former student, gifted Xander two new traveling companions, a Fennekin and an Eevee. Hoenn After departing his boat in Slateport, Xander immediately encountered Ellen Burks. After a short discussion, he agreed to help her go to Fortree City in order to tell some friends of hers that Celadon City was in danger. While traveling from Slateport towards Mauville, however, a terrible storm hit and they had to take cover under the bicycle bridge between the two towns. While drying out and waiting for the storm to pass, they were spotted by Ellen's father, who was wanting to bring his daughter home. Ellen refused, saying she needed to help people. Paul challenged his daughter to a battle, stating that if she wanted to fight in a war, she had to prove she could. If she lost, however, she would go back home with him. Xander cheered Ellen on from the sidelines and offered her advice towards the end, but it made no difference. Paul managed to take the victory. Before anything else could happen, however, they were interrupted by a blond man emerging from the shadows of the bridge. He introduced himself as Tyler McKinley, a friend of Ellen's, and Ellen confirmed it. The two spoke at length, and Tyler told her that she could help him end the war, and he would just need to take her for one day. As Ellen stepped forward, Tyler's Xatu hypnotized her. Tyler had neglected to mention that the 'one day' was at the end of the month. Before Paul or Xander could stop them, Tyler had teleported away with Ellen and her pokémon. The duo went to Mauville to heal their teams and rest for the night, intending to continue to Fortree City. The next morning, Sylph teleported them to Ryan's house using Paul's memory. Their arrival woke up everyone in the house, and a tense stalemate introduced Xander to Ryan Sanders, Evan Tierra, and Ray and Jenny Hakuda. After explaining the situation, the group agreed to help locate her. Ryan knew someone who could track with aura, but she lived at the Alamo on Four Island. The group, with this in mind, went to Lilycove to get a boat. Along the way, Xander remembered something that Tyler had said about Ray, and revealed to the others that he was the Seventh Child. After arriving in Lilycove, they encountered another group consisting of Ryan Hikari, Zach Hikari, and the Seaton siblings. The group, now twice its previous size, split off into multiple smaller groups to get errands done before leaving, with Xander, Ray, and the two Ryans heading to the department store. After failing to obtain a copy of TM25, Xander parted with the others to go find Paul. Finding the blacksmith on the beach, he told the man that he had decided to name his Eevee after Ellen. The two stood in silence for a moment before the sound of shattering glass caught their attention. Sylph teleported them towards the chaos, where the found most of the others gathering. Seeing that the source was Zach, who was causing psychic pulses, Sylph teleported everybody closeby to the rooftops, out of the path of the glass. Xander took command, ordering an evacuation of the area and to let Sylph know if anyone was injured. He, meanwhile, had the Gardevoir deposit him back on the street so he could try and get Olivia away from the psychic storm. As he drew close, he was hit in the chest with a blast, leaving a large bruise on his ribs. The storm died down shortly afterwards, and Xander found himself slightly dazed from the earlier blow. The group decided it would be best to leave the city, with Olivia taking Zach on one boat, and the others getting on a ship to the Sevii Islands. The Boat Once aboard the S.S. Coral, Xander mentally contacted Evan Tierra and the two had a discussion on what it meant to be a hero. Afterwards, Xander declared that he, too, would be a hero. Shortly afterwards, he was approached by Ray and accidentally read his surface thoughts. The two spoke about trust, and whether or not Ray was trusted, before Xander headed off to get healed and take a nap before dinner. During dinner, Aspen asked Xander if he might be able to help Saya socialize a bit with Ellen. Xander agreed, and the two met in Aspen's cabin after eating. The two talked about heroism for a while before leaving to go on deck. While in the hallway, however, they encountered a person who looked like Evan. Feral attacked, sending Xander sprawling, and a short brawl ensued between Xander, his team, Aspen, and the abomination. Shortly after, the rest of the group arrived and helped subdue the doppelganger. Evan himself showed up and, with Jenny's help, sealed Feral away for good. That night, as Xander lay abed being healed by Sylph, the two agreed that Xander needed to get stronger. He started learning how to move objects telekinetically, and spent the entire night practicing. The next morning, Xander was brought out of his room by Ryan Hikari knocking on the door. The entire group met up for a call from Zach -- who now said he was a girl and that her name was Chloe. Xander rolled with it fairly well, having grown up in a very liberal society. Ryan Sanders, however, went defensive, wondering if something had messed with Zach's mind. After hearing the others berate him, Xander invited Ryan outside to talk. After hearing Ryan's explanation, Xander gave him some advice on leadership and knowing when you've gone too far. Afterwards, Xander went to pick up Ellen from Aspen's and then go train some more. During his training, he broke the door to his cabin, drawing Evan's attention. The Hero of Space, wanting to get Xander's full measure, challenged him to a battle during breakfast. On deck, Xander and Sylph faced off against Evan and Lazengann. The battle was dramatic and exciting, during which Xander cheered Sylph on by shouting his love for her. Ultimately, however, both pokémon succumbed to their wounds and exhaustion, resulting in a tie. After returning Sylph, Xander kissed her ball. He healed her, and the two went to breakfast. There, the captain of the boat, Captain Jack, arrived and flirted with most of the people in the room, drawing unamused reactions from everyone. Xander and Sylph then went back to their cabin to clean up the pieces of the door he'd broken. During this, Aspen came up to talk to them, asking about the odd things he'd noticed between Xander and Sylph. The two admitted they were in a relationship, and answered questions related to that. Once Aspen left, they went back to cleaning and then meditated through another night. Their meditation was interrupted late the next evening by another call from Chloe. Xander was surprised when he found out just how much time had passed, and spent most of the conversation in silence as he fought his drowsiness. He spoke with Aspen, asking if the other teen could watch Ellen and Vixen for the night, which Aspen agreed to. One Island The ship made port for supplies on the first of the Sevii Islands. Xander and Sylph went to help Vixen and Ellen train on the beach with Aspen and Dahlia, but it wasn't long before Xander was challenging Aspen to a friendly match. The two teens found a good place to battle, and sent out their respective pokémon. Sylph battled for Xander, while Aspen sent out Aria. The two had another exciting battle, ending in Sylph almost fainting before Aria forfeited. During the battle, Xander found himself experiencing the same pain that Sylph did. After she had been healed at the Pokémon Center, he asked her about it, and she told him that he was using the power of Empathy. Unfortunately, to train it and learn to tune out the sensations, she had to destroy his mental wall and let him feel everybody's emotions and physical sensations for a while. Back on the Boat After more sleep on the ship, Xander woke for breakfast. He was interrupted from his meal, however, when his new ability alerted him to something going on upstairs. He hurried up and found the ship being attacked by water pokémon. He and his team helped fight the horde, and Xander caught a Staryu before Ellen was dragged underwater by a Tentacruel. Xander, acting on instinct, dove after the fox pokémon and was ensnared for his trouble. He sent Ellen back up onto deck just before the Tentacruel crushed him, breaking his ribs. He managed to use a psionic burst to free himself, and was retrieved from the water by Sylph. As he lay recovering, a Gyarados attacked Ray but was stopped by the timely arrival of Tyler McKinley. The blond was there to retrieve Ray. Xander and Sylph attempted to stop him, along with the others, but were ultimately unsuccessful as Ray went willingly. McKinley, however, lost an eye for his trouble, leaving the group feeling a bit more confident int heir ability to defeat him later. That night, Xander and Sylph had an argument about Xander throwing himself into danger, which led to Xander declaring that Sylph had broken him and that he was done training his powers. Sylph, however, refused to put his mental wall back up, and he ordered her back into her ball. The next morning, he was awoken by pain in his arm and went to investigate the source of it. He found Captain Jack holding a metal baseball bat that he'd used to break Black's arm. A quick showdown ensued, with Xander ordering Sylph to take Ryan below deck and keep him conscious. During the fight, Xander used his telekinesis to take Jack's gun and trained it on the turncoat captain. After the captain was well-subdued, he went downstairs to find Ryan alone and Sylph in the kitchen, helping deal with the Pinsir that Jack had sent downstairs. Afterwards, the two made up, and Sylph put Xander's mental wall back up due to him having learned to ignore the emotions he felt through empathy. The next day, they would find themselves on Four Island. Appearance Xander is a 16-year-old male. He has messy black hair and deep blue eyes. Despite his years in the sun, Xander's skin remains fairly pale. His clothing style is more functional than stylish, though he is from Lumiose City. He prefers light shirts, durable jeans, and hiking boots, with light jackets for mild temperatures and rain, and one thick coat for colder climates. Personality Xander is friendly, caring, confident, and contemplative. He always looks on the bright side of life, and tries to meet as many new people as possible. He has a slightly worrying nature, to the point of over-protectiveness. He exudes confidence, but not cockiness or arrogance. While he is sure of his own abilities, he's also sure that there are people out there who are better than him. He thinks hard about what he's going to do next, what his goals are and how to get there. Unfortunately, he can be a bit brash and reckless, throwing his plans aside and charging headlong into things at the drop of a hat. He is also given to brooding moods when things go wrong. Lately, he's gained a more reckless streak, rushing headlong into dangerous situations with little thought to his own personal well-being. Psychic Abilities Xander has a number of psychic abilities at his disposal including: * Telepathy, highly proficient * Telekinesis, mildly proficient * Psionic Burst, minorly proficient * Empathy, moderately proficient * Teleportation, moderately proficient * Synchronization, minorly proficient Pokémon |move1textcolor = |move2 = Teleport |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move3 = Heal Pulse |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move4 = Imprison |move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move5 = Moon Blast |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move6 = Dazzling Gleam |move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = |advanced = yes}} |move1-2textcolor = |move2-2 = Tail Whip |move2-2bgcolor = |move2-2textcolor = |move3-2 = Ember |move3-2bgcolor = |move3-2textcolor = |move4-2 = Flame Charge |move4-2bgcolor = |move4-2textcolor = |move5-2 = Psybeam |move5-2bgcolor = |move5-2textcolor = |move6-2 = Sunny Day |move6-2bgcolor = |move6-2textcolor = |advanced = yes |species = Braixen |image = |appearance = Brown spot has grown larger. Uses a staff instead of a wan. |nickname = Vixen |specialty = Special Attack+, Increases physical attack power with staff |ability = Blaze |personality = As playful as ever, a bit more mischievous and bratty. |move1bgcolor = |move1textcolor = |move1 = Scratch |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move2 = Light Screen |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move3 = Flame Charge |trivia = The brown spot on her head is indicative of the Ajna, or third eye chakra. |move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move4 = Sunny Day |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move5 = Psybeam |move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = |move6 = Flamethrower}} |move1-2textcolor = |move2-2 = Tackle |move2-2bgcolor = |move2-2textcolor = |move3-2 = Tail Whip |move3-2bgcolor = |move3-2textcolor = |move4-2 = Sand Attack |move4-2bgcolor = |move4-2textcolor = |move5-2 = Charm |move5-2bgcolor = |move5-2textcolor = |move6-2 = Last Resort |move6-2bgcolor = |move6-2textcolor = |advanced = yes |species = Umbreon |image = |appearance = Retains the ruff around her neck from her previous evolution. |nickname = Ellen |specialty = Special Atk+, Can intercept attacks |ability = Synchronize |personality = More withdrawn since evolving, but also deeply caring. |move1bgcolor = |move1textcolor = |move1 = Helping Hand |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move2 = Tackle |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move3 = Pursuit |trivia = Named after Ellen Burks |move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move4 = Last Resort |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move5 = Assurance |move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = |move6 = Moonlight}} |move1-2textcolor = |move2-2 = Camouflage |move2-2bgcolor = |move2-2textcolor = |move3-2 = Swift |move3-2bgcolor = |move3-2textcolor = |move4-2 = Hydro Pump |move4-2bgcolor = |move4-2textcolor = |move5-2 = Power Gem |move5-2bgcolor = |move5-2textcolor = |move6-2 = Gyro Ball |move6-2bgcolor = |move6-2textcolor = |advanced = yes |species = Starmie |image = |appearance = Red-orange gem |nickname = Astraea |specialty = Counter Attacks+ |ability = Analytic |personality = Slightly more proactive than before. |move1bgcolor = |move1textcolor = |move1 = Rapid Spin |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move2 = Camouflage |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move3 = Swift|move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move4 = Hydro Pump |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move5 = Power Gem|move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = |move6 = Gyro Ball}} |move1-2textcolor = |move2-2 = Light Screen |move2-2bgcolor = |move2-2textcolor = |move3-2 = Disarming Voice |move3-2bgcolor = |move3-2textcolor = |move4-2 = Psyshock |move4-2bgcolor = |move4-2textcolor = |move5-2 = Psybeam |move5-2bgcolor = |move5-2textcolor = |move6-2 = Confusion |move6-2bgcolor = |move6-2textcolor = |advanced = yes |species = Meowstic |image = |appearance = Eyes are a vibrant blue. |nickname = Psyka |specialty = Critical Attacks, Flanking Opponents |ability = Infiltrator |personality = Still standoffish, though she's learned to coordinate with her teammates. |move1bgcolor = |move1textcolor = |move1 = Disarming Voice |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move2 = Light Screen |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move3 = Charge Beam|move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move4 = Psychic|move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move5 = Psybeam|move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = |move6 = Future Sight}} Quotes "In that case, I'm going to be a hero. I'm going to do what's right, and when I fail, I'm going to do it again until I get it right. I'm not going to wait idly until someone chooses me. I'm not going to watch the darkness come. I'll find the darkness in the world, and leave it nowhere to run. That... was pretty cheesy, but that's my vow. I'm going to be a hero." - Xander making a vow "I know that, even if I would rather you stayed safe, you will try your hardest to protect those around you." - Sylph, lamenting Xander's heroics. "I know you feel like it's hopeless, but the only time that's true is when yous top trying to find a way." - Xander Cruize to Ellen Burks "There's too much injustice in the world. I'd rather do something than just sit back and watch others do something." - Xander Cruize to Sonja Baron Relationships Player Characters * Aspen Seaton - Xander considers Aspen a friend, though he wants to get to know Aspen better. * Chloe Hikari - Considered a close friend, Xander feels like they have a lot in common. After their battle, he also sees her as a partner in training psychic abilities. * Colleen Llyan - Xander does not know Colleen well, but is glad that she agreed to join the mission to Kalos. * Dahlia Seaton - Dahlia battled alongside Xander in Missing Zero's egg. He thinks of her as a reliable person and a good friend. * Evan Tierra - Xander looks up to Evan as something of a mentor and wishes to train alongside him more. * Ellen Burks - Xander feels responsible for what's happened to Ellen since his arrival. He wants to help her cope with her traumas, but isn't sure how to approach. * Jamie Arthur - Uncertain of where they stand with one another. Xander wants to make amends, but hasn't gotten the chance to. * Jared Winters - An acquaintance of Dahlia's that Xander does not know well. * Jenny Hakuda - Seen as something of a peripheral to Evan, Jenny has only once directly exchanged words with Xander. * Olivia Seaton - Similar to Jenny, Xander isn't even sure of Olivia's name. * Ray Hakuda - Their friendship is just getting started and is already rocky due to Ray willingly going with Tyler McKinley. * Ryan Hikari - The two barely know each other, but that's okay. Xander considers him reliable. * Ryan Sanders - The person Xander is closest to in the group, he is considered a decent leader and a confidant. In exchange, Xander also looks to Ryan for advice and companionship. NPCs * Cameron Morrill - An old rival of Xander's. The two have never gotten along, and Xander doesn't see that changing anytime soon. * Isabelle Fontaine - A friend of Xander's from Kalos. The two have recently reunited at the Alamo. * Octavyn Nowarei - An estranged friend of Xander's. The two are civil with oen another, but nothing more. * Paul Burks - Despite a rocky start, Xander has come to consider Paul a close and reliable friend. * Tyler McKinley - Xander absolutely loathes this man due to his abduction of two people that Xander was traveling with. The reveal of Tyler's true nature has led Xander's hatred of him to a new level. * Augustine Sycamore - Kalos' Pokémon professor, who Xander greatly admires and respects, acts as a father figure. Trivia *Xander is bad with names, as evidenced by his trouble remembering Ryan Hikari's last name and calling Olivia 'Olive' during the incident in Lilycove City. References Category:Trainers Category:Team Liberty Members